Why Flies Can Be a Threat to Your Business

Posted July 3, 2015

Flies can present a problem in all types of commercial businesses but they are particularly problematical when they become an issue in restaurants, commercial kitchens and other food establishments. Flies will irritate your customers, transmit disease and potentially contaminate your products. Flies can be a threat to your business because:

1. They can contaminate food. Flies feed and live on rotting matter, faeces and bacteria-ridden rubbish. When they land on food and surfaces they will transmit pathogenic micro- organisms that can cause diseases such as E. Coli and Salmonella.

2. Flies breed very quickly. A female can produce up to 1000 eggs in her lifetime and these eggs will turn into flies in only 7 to 10 days. In the right conditions, massive fly populations can develop.

3. Flies can damage your image. A large fly infestation at your business premises will put off your customers and have a detrimental impact on your reputation. If you run a food establishment then you could potentially fail hygiene checks and face fines. It can take a long time for a food establishment like a restaurant to get over the damage caused to their reputation so a fly infestation can be very costly.

Flies are attracted to food establishments for obvious reasons. They are drawn in by food odours and the opportunity that exists for food, water and shelter. If proper standards of food hygiene and storage are not followed then your business is at risk of a fly infestation so we always advise that fly prevention should be a critical part of your pest management strategy.

At Europest we can advise you on how to prevent fly infestations or if you already have an infestation, we can implement effective methods to get the situation under control so that disruption to your business is kept to a minimum. Contact us now for more information.